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The document argues that civic space in the EU is narrowing due to restrictive laws, exclusion from decision-making, and the criminalisation of peaceful activism. It highlights specific threats such as SLAPPs, funding cuts to the LIFE programme, and national laws in France, Hungary, Poland, and Italy that curtail CSO operations. ClientEarth calls for a pro-CSO narrative, transparent access to decision-making, and stable long-term financial support to safeguard environmental democracy.

The report reveals that twenty major private equity firms are linked to nearly 60 gigawatts of operating gas-fired power capacity globally, emitting an estimated 82 million metric tons of CO2e annually. This fleet spans 27 countries, with significant concentrations in the United States, Togo, Panama, Jamaica, and the Philippines. The document highlights a growing financial convergence where private equity firms are investing in both AI data centers and the fossil fuel power plants required to run them, potentially deepening carbon lock-in. Specific examples include BlackRock's pursuit of AES Corp and Blackstone's acquisition of TXNM.

The document describes a project running from November 2025 to December 2026 aimed at helping Nigerian transport-related businesses transition to low-carbon operations. It highlights that the transport sector accounts for over 25% of Nigeria's GHG emissions and identifies significant barriers for SMEs in accessing climate finance. The initiative provides training, technical guidance for bankable projects, and support for carbon market engagement to improve business competitiveness and public health.

The document highlights the risks of planning water and energy sectors in isolation, particularly as climate change increases water stress and impacts hydropower. It proposes the combined use of the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) and Water Evaluation and Adaptation Planning (WEAP) tools, alongside macroeconomic modelling, to identify trade-offs and synergies. Case studies in Rwanda and Central Asia illustrate how this integrated approach can prevent GDP losses and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The brief further suggests that such integration helps countries align their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to optimize limited climate finance.

Air pollution is the second deadliest risk for children under five globally, causing over 709,000 deaths in 2021. Children are more vulnerable due to developing immune systems and higher breathing rates. The burden is heavily skewed by economic disparity, with children in the least-developed countries facing death rates 94 times higher than those in the most-developed nations. The document highlights how structural lock-ins to fossil fuels and polluting land-use practices drive this crisis, noting that less than 1% of fossil fuel subsidies were spent on outdoor air quality between 2018 and 2022. Case studies in South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, and Bangladesh illustrate the specific drivers—such as coal power, biomass burning, brick kilns, and oil extraction—that contribute to high child mortality and lifelong developmental impairments.

The document explains that limiting global warming to 1.5°C will likely involve 'temperature overshoot', where targets are exceeded before returning to lower levels. Such overshoot increases the risk of triggering irreversible climate tipping points, such as the transformation of the Amazon rainforest into a savanna. The author argues that relying on large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) or geoengineering to correct overshoot is risky and uncertain, emphasizing that immediate, deep emissions cuts are the only reliable way to maintain a habitable planet. It also introduces the concept of 'positive socio-economic tipping points' as a strategic means to accelerate the transition to net zero.

The briefing argues that proposed 'Omnibus I' amendments to weaken or delete Article 22 of the CS3D—which requires companies to adopt and implement 1.5°C-compatible climate transition plans (CTPs)—would contradict the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) July 2025 Advisory Opinion. The ICJ confirmed that States have a binding legal duty to regulate private sector emissions using 'stringent' due diligence. The authors warn that diluting these requirements would increase the liability risks for EU Member States, heighten the legal exposure of companies to climate litigation, and leave the final Omnibus I Directive vulnerable to legal challenges for failing to meet international and EU climate obligations.

The document argues that UK local authorities have a solid legal foundation under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to implement weight- or size-based parking tariffs for SUVs. It highlights that SUVs increase fatality risks for pedestrians and cyclists, contribute more to air pollution via tyre and brake wear, and cause greater road surface damage. To avoid legal challenges, the briefing advises councils that such charges must be justified by traffic management and safety goals rather than revenue generation, and must be supported by robust public consultation.

The briefing explains that the western grid operates as an interconnected web where electricity flows across state and utility boundaries to balance supply and demand. It highlights that most major utilities in the West acted as both importers and exporters of electricity in 2024, providing a critical safety net during emergencies. Case studies from 2024 illustrate how the Pacific Northwest relied on imports from the Southwest and Rockies during a January cold snap, and how Montana imported 59% of its demand during a July heat wave and generator outage. The document concludes that increasing demand from AI and manufacturing necessitates further investment in regional transmission planning and projects like SunZia and Greenlink.

The document argues for the inclusion of human health protection as a primary objective of the future international treaty on plastic pollution. It proposes an integrated approach covering the full life cycle of plastics and suggests the use of a dedicated article on human health to facilitate international cooperation and complement other treaty provisions.

The ICJ issued a unanimous advisory opinion establishing that States have binding international legal obligations to prevent climate harm, including a duty to phase out fossil fuels and provide reparations for damages. The ruling affirms the right to a healthy environment as a binding norm and clarifies that sea level rise does not terminate a State's legal statehood or maritime borders.

The document identifies a pattern of right-wing and fossil fuel-linked disinformation during Canadian wildfire seasons that downplays climate change and obstructs policy action. It urges Canadian policymakers to implement laws against greenwashing, define climate disinformation scientifically, and regulate the monetization and amplification of such content by tech platforms.

The briefing highlights the vulnerability of sub-Saharan African food systems to climate change, noting that women bear a disproportionate burden despite their crucial roles. It critiques industrial agriculture for exacerbating inequalities and environmental degradation, proposing agroecology as a solution to enhance biodiversity, soil health, and food sovereignty.

The industrial sector accounts for nearly a quarter of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, characterized by process-based and high-temperature emissions. Using an analysis of Washington state, RMI demonstrates that emissions-intensive, trade-exposed (EITE) sectors—particularly refineries, which produce 68 percent of EITE emissions—could reduce emissions by 39 percent by 2035 and 91 percent by 2050. This transition would require an additional 13,975 GWh of annual electricity by 2050 in Washington, representing a 65 percent increase in industrial demand. To enable this, states must leverage tools such as grid access, permitting reform, and financial supports like green banks to complement federal incentives.

The Center for Climate and Security (CCS) urges US lawmakers to challenge Secretary of Commerce Lutnick on proposed FY 2026 budget cuts to NOAA. The briefing highlights risks to weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and public safety, noting that funding lapses have already disabled four regional climate centers and that 27,000 years of staff experience have been lost. CCS specifically questions the decommissioning of 14 data services, the status of the Atlas 15 precipitation project, and the lack of funding for extreme heat monitoring, arguing that these cuts undermine the $7 billion private weather services market and US national security.

Brazil is positioned to lead in green iron production due to its abundant renewable energy resources, which can make H2-DRI production up to 65% cheaper than in other steelmaking countries. The document argues that a green iron export agenda would drive domestic economic growth and jobs while reducing global steel emissions.

The document clarifies the distinctions and synergies between Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and Landscape and Jurisdictional Approaches (LA/JAs). While NbS are typically project-level interventions that leverage nature for societal benefits, LA/JAs are broader socioecological management strategies designed to align multiple stakeholders and goals at a landscape or political scale. The briefing argues that NbS are most effective and durable when embedded within LA/JAs, which provide the necessary governance, long-term planning, and policy alignment to scale impacts and meet global commitments such as the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement.

The document asserts that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions constitute marine pollution, creating a legal duty for States to phase out fossil fuels. It examines how advisory opinions from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) reinforce the rights of vulnerable island States and establish standards of due diligence and corporate accountability for climate-related ocean harm.

The document analyzes the legal requirements of Article 9 of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), which mandates the restoration of at least 25,000km of free-flowing rivers in the EU by 2030. It details the process for creating barrier inventories, prioritizing the removal of obsolete structures, and ensuring these actions align with other EU frameworks like the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Habitats Directive. The briefing emphasizes the need for longitudinal, lateral, and vertical connectivity and warns against using the Renewable Energy Directive to justify the retention of obsolete barriers.

The document assesses three types of multifunction mechanical systems designed to reduce the cost and disruption of building decarbonization retrofits in multifamily housing. It examines fully packaged systems (e.g., Systemair Genius), partially packaged systems (e.g., Villara AquaThermAire), and distributed systems (e.g., Ephoca AIO WM paired with SanCO2), focusing on their ability to integrate heating, cooling, ventilation, and domestic hot water (DHW) using low global warming potential refrigerants.